Monroe County, New York
Monroe County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 744,344. It is named after James Monroe, fifth President of the United States of America. Its county seat is the city of Rochester. Monroe County is part of the Rochester, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is located in Western New York. History When counties were established in the Province of New York in 1683, the present Monroe County was part of Albany County. This was an enormous county, including the northern part of New York State as well as all of the present State of Vermont and, in theory, extending westward to the Pacific Ocean. This county was reduced in size on July 3, 1766 by the creation of Cumberland County, and further on March 16, 1770 by the creation of Gloucester County, both containing territory now in Vermont. On March 12, 1772, what was left of Albany County was split into three parts, one remaining under the name Albany County. One of the other pieces, Tryon County, contained the western portion (and thus, since no western boundary was specified, theoretically still extended west to the Pacific). The eastern boundary of Tryon County was approximately five miles west of the present city of Schenectady, and the county included the western part of the Adirondack Mountains and the area west of the West Branch of the Delaware River. The area then designated as Tryon County now includes 37 counties of New York State. The county was named for William Tryon, colonial governor of New York. In the years prior to 1776, most of the Loyalists in Tryon County fled to Canada. In 1784, following the peace treaty that ended the American Revolutionary War, the name of Tryon County was changed to Montgomery County in order to honor the general, Richard Montgomery, who had captured several places in Canada and died attempting to capture the city of Quebec, replacing the name of the hated British governor. In 1789, Ontario County was split off from Montgomery. The actual area split off from Montgomery County was much larger than the present county, also including the present Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Niagara, Orleans, Steuben, Wyoming, Yates, and part of Schuyler and Wayne Counties. Genesee County was created by a splitting of Ontario County in 1802. This was much larger than the present Genesee County, however. It contained the present Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Niagara, Orleans, Wyoming, and portions of Livingston and Monroe Counties. Finally, Monroe County was formed from parts of Genesee and Ontario Counties in 1821. Notable residents * See: List of people from Rochester, New York Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (51.72%) is water. Monroe County is in the northern tier of western New York State, northeast of Buffalo and northwest of Syracuse. The northern county line is also the state line and the border of the United States, marked by Lake Ontario. Monroe County is north of the Finger Lakes. Adjacent counties *Lake Ontario and Canada - north *Wayne County, New York - east *Ontario County, New York - southeast *Livingston County, New York - south *Orleans County, New York - west *Genesee County, New York - west Major highways * Interstate 90 (New York State Thruway) * Interstate 390 * Interstate 490 * Interstate 590 * New York State Route 15 * New York State Route 18 * New York State Route 19 * New York State Route 31 * New York State Route 33 * New York State Route 104 * New York State Route 259 * New York State Route 390 * New York State Route 531 * New York State Route 590 * Lake Ontario State Parkway Government and politics Monroe County was chartered as a municipal corporation by the New York State Legislature in 1892 and re-chartered under New York's Municipal Home Rule Law in 1965. Executive branch The county's executive branch is headed by the County Executive, Maggie Brooks. The executive's office is located on the first floor of the County Office Building on West Main Street in Rochester. The county was exclusively governed by a Board of Supervisors for the first 114 years of its history. In 1935, the position of County Manager, appointed by the Board, was approved by popular referendum. In 1983, the position was replaced by a County Executive, directly elected by popular vote, with expanded powers (e.g., veto). In 1993, the legislature enacted term limits for the executive office of 12 consecutive years to start in 1996. }} Legislative branch The county's legislative branch consists of a 29-member County Legislature which replaced the earlier 43-member Board of Supervisors on January 1, 1967. It meets in the Legislative Chambers on the fourth floor of the County Office Building. All 29 members of the legislature are elected from districts. District Maps Currently, there are 18 Republicans and 11 Democrats. In 1993, the legislature enacted term limits of 10 consecutive years to start in 1996. }} Economy Monroe County is a home to a number of international businesses, including Eastman Kodak, Bausch & Lomb, Paychex, and Pictometry International, all of which make Monroe County world headquarters. Xerox, while no longer headquartered in Rochester, has its principal offices and manufacturing facilities in Monroe County. Because of the prevalence of imaging and optical science among the industry and the universities, Rochester is known as the world capital of imaging. The University of Rochester's Institute of Optics doctoral program was ranked in 2004 as number one in the country by the National Research Council in number of publications published per faculty member. Monroe County is also home to regional businesses such as Wegmans Food Markets, Roberts Communications, Inc., PAETEC Holding Corp., and major fashion label Hickey Freeman. Eastman Kodak has been going through successive rounds of layoffs for years, which are a strain on the local economy. Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 735,343 people, 286,512 households, and 184,513 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,115 people per square mile (431/km²). There were 304,388 housing units at an average density of 462 per square mile (178/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 79.14% White, 13.75% African American, 0.27% Native American, 2.44% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 2.44% from other races, and 1.94% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.31% of the population. 18.6% were of Italian, 15.3% German, 11.3% Irish and 8.3% English ancestry according to Census 2000. 4.64% of the population reported speaking Spanish at home, while 1.43% speak Italian. There were 286,512 households out of which 31.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.40% were married couples living together, 13.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.60% were non-families. 28.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.08. In the county the population was spread out with 25.60% under the age of 18, 9.50% from 18 to 24, 29.30% from 25 to 44, 22.60% from 45 to 64, and 13.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 93.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.20 males. The median income for a household in the county was $44,891, and the median income for a family was $55,900. Males had a median income of $41,279 versus $29,553 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,821. About 8.20% of families and 11.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.50% of those under age 18 and 7.40% of those age 65 or over. Cities, towns, and villages *Brighton (town) *Brockport (village) *Chili (town) *Churchville (village) *Clarkson (town) *East Rochester (village and town) *Fairport (village) *Gates (town) *Greece (town) *Hamlin (town) *Henrietta (town) *Hilton (village) *Honeoye Falls (village) *Irondequoit (town) *Mendon (town) *Ogden (town) *Parma (town) *Penfield (town) *Perinton (town) *Pittsford (town) *Pittsford (village) *Riga (town) *Rochester (city) *Rush (town) *Scottsville (village) *Spencerport (village) *Sweden (town) *Webster (town) *Webster (village) *Wheatland (town) Colleges and universities The county is home to nine colleges and universities: *Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School in the city *Monroe Community College in Brighton with a campus in the city *Nazareth College in Pittsford *Roberts Wesleyan College in Chili *Rochester Institute of Technology in Henrietta *St. Bernard's School of Theology and Ministry in Pittsford *St. John Fisher College in Pittsford *State University of New York at Brockport in Brockport with a campus in the city *University of Rochester in the city Additionally, four colleges maintain satellite campuses in Monroe County: *The Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations maintains an office in the city *Empire State College maintains the Genesee Valley Learning Center in Irondequoit *Ithaca College's Department of Physical Therapy leases part of the Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School facility for teaching and research *Medaille College maintains its Rochester Campus in Brighton Parks *Black Creek Park *Abraham Lincoln Park *Churchville Park *Devil's Cove Park *Durand-Eastman Park *Ellison Park *Genesee Valley Park *Greece Canal Park *Highland Park *Irondequoit Bay Marine Park *Irondequoit Bay Park West *Lehigh Valley Trail Park *Mendon Ponds Park *Northampton Park *Oatka Creek Park *Ontario Beach Park *Powder Mills Park *Seneca Park *Tryon Park *Webster Park *Wetlands Park See also * Monroe County, New York Sheriff's Office * List of counties in New York * National Register of Historic Places listings in Monroe County, New York References Further reading *Sherwood, D.A. (2003). Water resources of Monroe County, New York, water years 1997-99, with emphasis on water quality in the Irondequoit Creek basin : atmospheric deposition, ground water, streamflow, trends in water quality, and chemical loads to Irondequoit Bay Investigations Report 02-4221. Ithaca, NY: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey. External links *Official webpage * *Monroe County Library System *Rochester Wiki Monroe County Page *http://www.monroecounty.gov/parks-index.php Category:Monroe County, New York Category:Established in 1821 Category:Rochester, New York metropolitan area